painting a few body parts for cheap

[pandaswag]

Hey guys. Alright so on my 95 black GS I have a few replacement body parts that I need to paint for CHEAP! im a do it your self kinda guy so i plan on painting them my self but im on a budget. I'd like to spend $100 tops on paint and materials.

I have a 97 bumper thats oem grey. im sure you've all seen it. and I have a oem hood that is also grey. I've heard that rustoleum would be fine but i'd like your guys advice.

What do i need to buy and how much? (Sandpapers, clearcoats, paint. rollers) Where could I buy these products considering I dont do any online shopping so Walmart, Autozone, Macco?

I dont expect brilliant results, my dsm is beat up enough its just i hate driving a half gray car

any advice would be appreciated! thanks.

 

[95AWD6Bolt]

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/articles-exterior-interior/273935-how-paint-rims-small-parts-cheap.html

 

[Aproductions]

when I did my engine bay I used a spray can (factory color) and clear.

For the hood and bumper though I would buy a spray gun at harbor freight, and supplies. Then I would just buy a can of paint (anywhere online).

Easy as that.

 

[pandaswag]

No offence, but neither post very helpful. I am looking for specific brands of paints and materials someone would use to paint *LARGER* EXTERIOR replacement parts such as these. And where i could get them WITHOUT going online. I dont have a creditcard to make purchases online. also i already have a spray gun, but i was considering rolling the paint or maybe a different route.

 

[NWHTanK]

Goto sumit, or orilies autoparts. They have duplicolor paint system. No mixing just poor in your gun and shoot. And it is within your budget.

 

[jcart953]

when I did my engine bay I used a spray can (factory color) and clear.

Easy as that.

Were you you basically just touching up the color or did you spray it an entirely new color? If so hows that holding up?

No offence, but neither post very helpful. I am looking for specific brands of paints and materials someone would use to paint *LARGER* EXTERIOR replacement parts such as these. And where i could get them WITHOUT going online. I dont have a creditcard to make purchases online. also i already have a spray gun, but i was considering rolling the paint or maybe a different route.

I honestly have no idea how you dont have a credit or debit card or why you dont atleast price compare online especially if you want something cheap.
Anyway to answer your question check this out:
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/appearance-interior-exterior/383631-you-tired-non-painted-bumper.html

They guy did it for under $100 dollars and it looks ok AND has some specifics for ya.

 

[NWHTanK]

And as far as prep use a red scuff pad, at the most 2. Scuff and shoot and dont buy the primer. If use a coaser grit than the red scuff pads u will see sanding marks since ## no using a sealer. Good luck with ## first paint job.

 

[teddygram]

I used the rattle can from O'rielys to paint my front end and it came out very well. Not a 100% match but you cant tell unless you really look. Its all in the prep work, like mentioned above.

 

[pandaswag]

Were you you basically just touching up the color or did you spray it an entirely new color? If so hows that holding up?



I honestly have no idea how you dont have a credit or debit card or why you dont atleast price compare online especially if you want something cheap.
Anyway to answer your question check this out:
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/appearance-interior-exterior/383631-you-tired-non-painted-bumper.html

They guy did it for under $100 dollars and it looks ok AND has some specifics for ya.

Thanks, very helpful post.

And if your that curious I dont have a credit or debit card because im an irresponsible 18 year old and last time i had a credit card i took my dads forty thousand dollar 2011 e93 335i half way across the country without asking.

 

[bryanwheat]

As others have said, go to oreilly or another parts store and have them mix you some acrylic enamel in a spray can with your color. You will need 3 or 4 cans at 15 bucks a pop. You will need clear also, i just use the cheap acrylic enamel rustoleum clear.

Wash the parts with soap and water before anything. From there take a red scuff pad and rough up the surface. From there wash it with soap and water again and let it dry. From there take a tack cloth and clean all dust off the parts. From there you can spray the base coat. IF you get a run don't worry about, it can be wet sanded out. Wait 24 hours for it to cure and wet sand it with 1,000 to remove all the texture. Wash it with soap and water again, and than use the tack cloth on it again. Not you can spray the clear. IT will go on with a white haze, but when it dries it will look like glass. After it is cured you can wetsand, buff and polish it.

 

[NWHTanK]

This what im talkking about for the cheap
Dupli-Color :: Home

Its a laquer system no mixing of any thing.base coat and the clear they have it on the shelf ready to buy.What they sell behind the counter is a diffrent. I think its dupont and that will have to be mixed and additive used to aplly. The duplicolor system is best bang for the buck in the spray gun. And if u wanted to do it in a flat clear they have that as well.

 

[Kheimbach]

As others have said, go to oreilly or another parts store and have them mix you some acrylic enamel in a spray can with your color. You will need 3 or 4 cans at 15 bucks a pop. You will need clear also, i just use the cheap acrylic enamel rustoleum clear.

Wash the parts with soap and water before anything. From there take a red scuff pad and rough up the surface. From there wash it with soap and water again and let it dry. From there take a tack cloth and clean all dust off the parts. From there you can spray the base coat. IF you get a run don't worry about, it can be wet sanded out. Wait 24 hours for it to cure and wet sand it with 1,000 to remove all the texture. Wash it with soap and water again, and than use the tack cloth on it again. Not you can spray the clear. IT will go on with a white haze, but when it dries it will look like glass. After it is cured you can wetsand, buff and polish it.

Listen to this guy. I went to school for collision repair (painting cars and fixing them for whoever didn't know) and what he said above is exactly wha we learned and that's what the pros use minus the paint and stuff but the prep works where it's crucial. Take your time and don't rush through it and you will be fine. Good luck!

 

[H@xtGSX]

WTF

.... you CAN do it with acrylic enamel, if you don't mind having to do it again in a couple years. Stay away from Lacquers! That stuff scratches if you look at it wrong.

I would suggest you look into a NON-Metallic solid color Acrylic Urethane. It's second choice for a body shop if they can't shoot a 2K urethane, AND it's CHEAP. 2 quarts of paint and a some cheap acrylic primer like the Duplicolor stuff (Enamel. NOT Lacquer!) sanded smooth with some 400-600 grit, and it will look good without you having to do a clear coat in addition to the paint. You also have the option of going back and clear coating it, if you want a higher gloss later. You'll be MUCH happier and get higher quality results if you do it with a urethane, and it'll last a hell of a lot longer.

Auto Paint Primer: Automotive Paint, Auto Paint, Car Paint
Acrylic Urethane Car Paint Kits: Automotive Paint, Auto Paint, Car Paint

It may go over your budget by $10-$20... BUT it's better stuff for cheap.

If you can't beg, borrow, or swipe an HVLP/air compressor set up, you are left with rattle cans...

Now... I will admit you CAN get a good paint job using rattle can spray paint like you see in O Riley's, I have done it. You will be sanding it and touching it up for a LONG time though before it stops looking like a spray paint paint job. Same goes for Rustoleum enamel. You CAN get good looking results, but be prepared to sand, sand, sand, and sand, reshoot, sand, sand and sand, clear coat, and polish, polish, polish... Get the idea? It's a LOT of work. What BryanW said is right. Just remember, the surface UNDER the top coat of paint will determine what it looks like. BE SURE to sand it smooth to the touch with no visable scouring... like he said, 800+ grit on the primer coat before shooting you color and get that primer looking good.

 

[ed1380]

WTF

.... you CAN do it with acrylic enamel, if you don't mind having to do it again in a couple years.

Not necessarily true.
I've had mine for years and it's doing very well. And for $300 you can't beat the value for the money.

 

[TrevStarr]

I have painted a whole car using rattle can. Turned out nicely. Wasn't goin to win any awards but it looked good. For me the trick was to do multiple coats with scuffing in between. And spray front to back. Rustuleum makes a decent spray paint with bending qualities for bumper covers so it won't crack. As stated above autozone carries a couple paint products that are a one stop shop if that's what your looking for. And its within your budget to pay for the beer while your buddies help sand the car!

Trevor

 

[H@xtGSX]

Not necessarily true.
I've had mine for years and it's doing very well. And for $300 you can't beat the value for the money.

Is your car garaged? Or you live in a very northern area with frequent cloud cover?
That makes a huge difference. They used enamel in the 60's and 70's standard, and if taken care of, it'll last. If you live somewhere like I do (south NM), where the sun is out and the UV is high year round, the car is not garaged, and the waxing and care is not meticulously followed, it WILL fail within a couple years. Doing paint work, it's best to assume the car will be exposed to the worst conditions. If you know for sure it'll be garaged, you will do the maintenance, and it's not left out baking in the sun for the majority of the day (sitting, not driving), it works fine and will last a while. Remember, it used to be OEM stuff before urethanes.

 

[dsmlover07]

In 96 i cleaned all my parts with degreaser and scuffed them well, and sprayed several coats on and to this day it still looks good.

 

[H@xtGSX]

The other exception with enamel durability is clear coat. If you let an enamel cure out in the sun for a about 30 days, baking it as dry as it can possibly get, you can shoot a urethane clear coat over it with a UV inhibitor in it and it'll last a long time. That's a riskier option though, because some urethanes (high VOC HS show coats for example) can delaminate the enamel. I have done this and had good results and complete failures. It's dependant on how cured the enamel is, and how nasty the clear is. In general, acrylic urethanes will coat acrylic enamels without destroying it. There's exceptions to that also. 2k urethanes is a gamble over enamel.

I'm not saying you have to do anything, but I have done everything from $50 rattle can paint jobs to $1500 for paint alone paint jobs and I haven't let one go out of my garage looking crappy. They all look like professional jobs. There's a world of difference in the amount of work involved with each though, and generally, the less it costs you in tools and materials, the more you're going to be sanding and blending.

One's definition of "looking good" is subjective also... it's a matter of what you're willing to accept and drive around without feeling like a dork.

 

[ed1380]

Mine has never been garaged or waxed. Washed couple times a year. Still looks good beside's the water marks I made the day after it was painted by washing it in the sun.

 

[H@xtGSX]

My opinion comes from years of custom painting, so I know there's exceptions to every rule of painting. I'm not pulling rank or anything, but seriously, if you can think of it when it comes to weird crap painting cars or motorcycles, I've probably done something similar at the least.

The reason I suggest Acrylic Urethane is 2 fold. Ease of use and cost. You can't get an easier professional looking finish than acrylic urethane. It is the easiest stuff to shoot and make look awesome you can buy, bar none. It self levels, provides it own gloss, it doesn't need clear, and can be shot with the crappiest gun you can get and still look good... And the stuff is as tough as most OEM finishes, with a couple caveats. It is my go-to paint for cheap and kickass in the same package. My own car I shot with a 2k urethane.... By the time I finished I WISHED I HAD used an acrylic urethane. It is the DIY garage painter's BEST option. Period.

 

[ed1380]

Can you explain some of the negatives? If its that easy I might just paint my own car.

 

[H@xtGSX]

Do it! I fully encourage you to try it. I started out with rattle cans from a local paint jobber I had filled on order... Not an ideal way to start learning, but it worked. You can do it too, it just takes some research and a lot of dedication to detail work. It is NOT rocket science though, anyone can do it if shown how. Proof of that? Go walk in any body shop...

Acrylic urethane does have a couple of drawbacks. You do need to shoot it with a paint gun fed by a compressor. It does contain isocyanates, so you MUST wear protective clothing and absolutely, without fail, MUST wear a respirator. It will mess you up pretty bad if you huff a bunch of that stuff in. It is not as scratch resistant as OEM urethane. It will fade over the course of about 8-10 years (no big deal for most of us). It is not as hard as a pure urethane, so it suffers from the weaknesses you'd expect with any enamel, except the urethane prolongs and preserves the paint for MUCH longer than any standard enamel. It is just plain tougher. The other nice thing is any novice can shoot A.U. and make it look good. It smooths itself out. It is the easiest "professional" car paint you can use.